Avignon holidays

Local dishes in Avignon

The cooking of Provence displays all the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, with superb fish on the coast, excellent lamb from inland and fantastic fresh fruit and vegetables – the rewards of a sunny climate.

Some typical dishes

• Daube Provençale: A real winter warmer, this is a thick beef stew enriched with red wine and seasoned with juniper, orange peel and chopped bacon.

• Pieds et paquets: Sheep’s trotters and stomachs may be an acquired taste, but they’re a characteristic Provençal dish.

Meat dishes

• Gardiane de Taureau: ‘Rancher's Stew’ is a traditional Camargue dish that is simply bull’s meat cooked in wine, vegetables and Provençal herbs.

• Gigot d’Agneau: A juicy roast leg of lamb seasoned with garlic and rosemary and served with either ratatouille or gratin dauphinois.

Fish and seafood dishes

• Bouillabaisse: This fishermen’s stew from Marseille is the most famous of all Provençal seafood dishes – at its best it’s utterly delicious.

• Brandade de Morue: A creamy dish made with salt cod, potatoes and olive oil served with bread or as a filling for pastries - comfort food for kings.

Street food

• Socca: Best eaten hot and fresh from the pan, this chickpea pancake is perfect street food – simple, wholesome and tasty.

• Pain fougasse: A finger-shaped bread that may contain olives, anchovies, sausage, cheese or bacon.

Sweets and desserts

Calissons are lozenge-shaped sweets made from almonds and candied lemon and are perfect with a strong espresso; while a tarte tropézienne is a cream-filled brioche that originated in nearby Saint-Tropez.

Local drinks

• Pastis: Provence is the homeland of pastis, an aniseed-flavoured spirit traditionally served with a bowl of olives before meals.

• Bandol Rosé: Rosé is the characteristic wine of the coast, perfect on a warm summer’s night with seafood and a seat on the terrace.

Best things to do in Avignon

An unmissable destination, Avignon boasts the colossal Palais des Papes as well as a fine crop of museums and ancient churches, while the sheer life and energy that throbs through its lanes and alleyways is quite something.

Viewpoints and panoramas

• Rocher des Doms: Commanding lovely views from its hilltop position north of the Palais des Papes, down to the Pont St-Bénézet and across the river.

• Palais Neuf: Take a walk along the roof terraces of the newer of Avignon’s grand palaces for tremendous views.

The best districts

• Quartier de la Banasterie: With tourism largely kept in check, this remains an atmospheric and beautiful district, particularly at night.

• Place de l’Horloge: Frenetically busy year-round, the café-lined place de l’Horloge holds Avignon’s imposing Hôtel de Ville and clock tower, as well as the Opéra.

Museums

• Musée Calvet: Highlights of this excellent, airy museum include Antonio Forbera’s extraordinary Le Chevalet du Peintre, a trompe l’oeil painting from 1686 depicting the artist’s easel, complete with sketches and palette.

• Collection Lambert: Avignon’s major contemporary art gallery, this thoughtfully curated exhibition space is used to house large-scale temporary exhibitions, one of which each year is usually devoted to a specific contemporary artist.

Parks and gardens

• Rocher des Doms: The peaceful Rocher des Doms park is the best place in the city for a picnic. The steep climb up is rewarded with relaxing lawns, fountains and ducks, as well as a little café.

Historical monuments

• Palais du Roure: The beautiful 15th-century Palais du Roure was originally home to a family of Florentine bankers, but it’s now a centre for Provençal culture.

• Pont Saint-Bénézet: Also known as the Pont d’Avignon, it’s now a picturesque ruin since being destroyed yet again by a flood in 1668, with just four of its 22 arches surviving.

• Palais des Papes: Perched at the north end of the walled city, overlooking the Rhône, this vast medieval building was home to successive popes – and anti-popes – during Avignon’s 14th-century heyday.

Day trips in the area

• Pont du Gard: For almost 2,000 years, this magnificent triple-tiered aqueduct bridge has spanned the Gard River - if you only see one thing in Provence, make it this.

• Châteauneuf-du-Pape: One for oenophiles, the local vineyards here produce rich ruby-red wine that ranks among the most renowned in France. The village itself is very pretty.

• Arles: Visit its amphitheatre, theatre, baths, necropolis, underground vaults and a superb archaeology museum.

Activities for families in Avignon

While the centre of Avignon is mostly all about historic monuments, the more family-oriented activities are to be found on the periphery of the city, as well as slightly further afield.

• Boat trips: In summer, from a base just south of place Crillon, Bateaux de Provence offers various cruises upstream towards Châteauneuf-du-Pape and downstream to Arles, as well as longer trips to the Camargue.

• Indoor Adventure: Clip’n’Climb Grand Avignon is a terrific sport climbing wall that makes for a fun but still challenging alternative to the real thing outdoors - we’ll leave that to the pros…

• Theme parks and adventure: Just outside Avignon the Parc Spirou Provence offers rides and attractions for the whole family. Whether it’s Turbotraction, Splash Piranha or the Aqua Slime Project (!), a massively fun day is guaranteed.

Free things to do in Avignon

There are simple pleasures to be had just by soaking up the atmosphere on the city’s streets.

• Festivals: The Festival d’Avignon in July is one of Europe’s great happenings, three weeks of theatre, contemporary dance, classical music and exhibitions. Although most events must be paid for, there are numerous free events too.

• Visit the markets: Browsing the local markets is the thing to do in Provence and Avignon has one of the best in Les Halles; more than 40 merchants, from cheesemakers, creamers and bakers to greengrocers and fishmongers; and you’re sure to be offered plenty of free samples.

• Walk the ancient centre: Few things are as pleasurable (or as free) as wandering the streets of Avignon’s ancient core. Your only expense may be the occasional coffee.

Nature and outdoor activities

There are very few activities that you can’t do in and around Avignon, and there are some serious propositions when it comes to observing local wildlife too.

• Hiking: The Dentelles - a region of jagged limestone pinnacles - are particularly good for long walks, happening upon mysterious ruins or photogenic panoramas of Mont Ventoux and the Rhône Valley.

• Rock climbing: The cliffs and crags north of Avignon, also in the Dentelles, offer excellent rock climbing: the Col de Cayron pinnacle is prized by serious climbers, while all you need to tackle the Dent du Turc are decent shoes and a head for heights.

• Horse riding: Saddle up one of the magnificent, white Camargue horses and explore this mysterious, watery marshland on horseback - what a way to travel.

• Cycling: For city cycling, Provence Bike, immediately east of the gare SNCF at 7 av St-Ruf, rents bicycles, scooters and motorbikes, but for more gruelling fare, head to Mont Ventoux west of Avignon, a fabled target for amateur and professional cyclists alike.

• Wildlife watching: The Camargue is a treasure-trove of bird and animal species, both wild and domestic, and ranges from wild boars, beavers and badgers, tree frogs, water snakes and pond turtles, to marsh and seabirds, waterfowl and birds of prey. A very special place.